PM Blog

Recently Production Machining added new zones to its website. One of these is for Additive Manufacturing (AM), catch-all term that’s used to describe technologies that build 3D objects by adding materials in layers. This 3D printing can create functional, industrial components including prototypes, tooling and end-use production parts and is a good example of an evolving manufacturing industry landscape.

MD&M East, held June 12-14 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, New York, New York, connects attendees with thousands of engineers and executives, as well as hundreds of leading suppliers in the medtech industry. The show, now in its 34th year, offers exhibits that give attendees a look at the latest industry advancements, including new innovations that have not yet hit the market.

If there is a buzz word in metalworking manufacturing today, it has got to be automation. The shop that we profiled in an article titled “Moving Automation In”is a stable veteran manufacturer that doesn’t necessarily follow the “buzz” for its own sake.

Conventional four-edge end mills are particularly well suited for side milling and slots. Other milling cutters can also undertake these tasks, but knuckle form milling cutters do not leave behind such a smooth surface.

Certain factors must be considered when selecting modern high-performance milling cutters. These tools should be designed for high process speeds as resulting temperatures can promote premature tool wear and cause oxygen to become reactive.

For users who primarily side mill components or mill slots, conventional roughing end mills with four cutting edges work and also work well for if the surface of the component also must be milled flat. For milling deeper, full slots with more than 1× diameter and for machining delicate components, a knuckle form roughing cutter works well. Ramping, helix milling or drilling are often necessary for carving out pockets when machining components. And modern HPC milling cutters leave behind such a smooth surface in some cases that the required finishing cut is no longer necessary except for in some instances like components produced using processes such as additive manufacturing or modern casting processes.